Image forming apparatuses are apparatuses that form an image on printing media, e.g., sheets of paper, according to an input image signal, examples of which may include a printer, a copier, a fax machine and a multi-function peripheral that combines some of the functionalities of the afore-mentioned.
For example, an electro-photographic image forming apparatus refers to a type of image forming apparatus that forms an electrostatic latent image on the surface of a photoconductor that had been charged to a predetermined electrical potential by irradiating light onto the photoconductor, and that forms a visible image using a developer supply unit to supply developer, e.g., toner, to the electrostatic latent image. The visible image formed on the photoconductor may be transferred directly onto a sheet of paper or may be transferred to the paper via an interim transfer unit. The image transferred to the paper is then fixed to the paper through a fusing process.
Such an image forming apparatus typically includes a number of electrical contact points of various shapes and types, to some of which a high voltage of about 1 kV or more may be applied. These contact points may be arranged to maintain certain distances from one another to ensure safety and/or for efficiency considerations. Unfortunately, such distances necessary between the contact points may however serve as obstacles to a size reduction of the image forming apparatus.